being in tenpai without calling riichi
In mahjong, a state where a player's hand is ready to win (tenpai) but they choose not to declare riichi, often to keep the hand concealed or flexible. Compare with 立直 (riichi).
Waiting in tenpai without calling riichi makes it harder for opponents to read your hand.
He drew the winning tile on his first draw while in tenpai without declaring riichi.
Standard kanji spelling for this mahjong term.
Compound of 闇 (yami, 'darkness, hidden') and 聴 (ten, abbreviation of 聴牌 tenpai). Literally 'hidden tenpai'.